News & Announcements
Essential Construction
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DEPARTMENT OF LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY
DIVISION OF NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE
OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Administrative Order No. 2020-11
Essential Construction
WHEREAS, on March 9, 2020, through Executive Order No. 103, the facts and circumstances of which are adopted by reference herein, the Governor declared both a Public Health Emergency and a State of Emergency throughout the State due to the public health hazard posed by Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); and
WHEREAS, to further protect the health, safety and welfare of New Jersey residents by, among other things, reducing the rate of community spread of COVID-19, the Governor issued Executive Order No. 107 (2020) on March 21, 2020, the facts and circumstances of which are also adopted by reference herein, which established social mitigation strategies for combating COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, on April 7, 2020, through Executive Order No. 119 (2020), the facts and circumstances of which are adopted by reference herein, the Governor declared that the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency continued to exist and further declared that all Executive Orders and Administrative Orders adopted in whole or in part in response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency remained in full force and effect; and
WHEREAS, the Governor issued Executive Order No. 122 (2020) on April 8, 2020, the facts and circumstances of which are also adopted by reference herein, which ordered the physical operations of all non-essential construction projects to cease, but also deemed a subset of construction projects as essential and permitted their continued operation; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to paragraphs 6 of Executive Order No. 122 (2020), the Governor granted the State Director of Emergency Management, who is the Superintendent of the State Police, the discretion to make additions, amendments, clarifications, exceptions, and exclusions to the terms of the Order;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Patrick J. Callahan, State Director of Emergency Management, hereby ORDER as follows:
1. Construction of new religious facilities or construction involving existing religious facilities shall be considered essential construction projects. These projects must abide by all conditions of Executive Order No. 122 (2020), including provisions outlined in paragraphs 3 and 4 of that Order.
2. This ORDER shall take effect immediately, and shall remain in effect for as long as Executive Order No. 122 (2020) remains in effect or until I issue a subsequent amending Administrative Order.
May 2, 2020
_________________________
Colonel Patrick J. Callahan
State Director of Emergency Management